


The Amazing Race

by skinscript (Infie)



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humour
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-19
Updated: 2014-01-19
Packaged: 2018-01-09 06:06:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1142370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infie/pseuds/skinscript
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damon makes good on his threat to go on the Amazing Race, and drags Alaric, Stefan, and Elena along for the ride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Starting Line

**Author's Note:**

> This goes AU somewhere near the end of season 1, I think. WIP; no promises on finishing.
> 
> Title is temporary til I think up something better.

"Welcome everyone. In just a few minutes, you'll be starting the adventure of your lives."

"Obviously Phil's never lived in Mystic Falls," Damon muttered. Alaric elbowed him, and Stefan unbent enough to shoot him a death glare from his position on Alaric's other side. 

"You _somehow_ managed to talk me into this," he hissed furiously. "the least you could do is shut up and pay attention."

"… when I lower my hand," Phil continued loudly, staring at Stefan pointedly. Alaric saw Damon's smirk. He felt his lips twitch in shared amusement and ruthlessly stomped on his desire to grin. He liked Stefan, he really did, but there was no question he could use some loosening up. Elena frowned on Stefan's other side, focussed firmly on Phil's continuing monologue and pointedly ignoring the whispers. 

"Go!"

The shout startled Alaric out of his reverie, and he reflexively started forward, running towards their knapsacks. He still couldn't believe he was doing this. 

"I still can’t believe I am doing this." He slung the heavy bag over his shoulder, glad for all the running he'd been doing lately in preparation for the inevitable vampire apocalypse. He was pretty sure that a healthy cardio system would be a useful trait. He'd never imagined, in his wildest dreams, that it would be put to use in quite this way though.

"You love it," Damon shot him a grin as he picked up his matching knapsack with a fake grunt of effort that had Alaric rolling his eyes. "Now hurry up. I want to beat Stefan to the airport."

Alaric craned to read over Damon's shoulder. "Where're we going first?"

"Rome!" Elena's squeal had them both turning. 

"Rome," Damon echoed, handing Alaric the clue before giving him a shove towards their car. Alaric went, thinking about the expression that had flitted across Damon's face at Elena's excitement. Smugness, and something else Alaric wasn't prepared to name. 

"Rome," he said instead. "Cool."

* * *

_"You want me to what?" Alaric was pretty sure his hearing was going, because there was no way he'd actually just heard what he thought he'd heard._

_"Come with me on the Amazing Race." Damon leaned over and stole a strawberry off his plate, popping it into his mouth with a grin._

_So, he had heard him correctly. Alaric leaned back, watching Damon steadily. "Why?"_

_"Because I need a partner." Damon shrugged and mirrored him, slouching in his seat._

_"What about Stefan?"_

_Damon rolled his eyes. "He's going with Elena," he said. "Well, once I talk him into it."_

_"Wait a minute," Alaric coughed. "You have two teams entered? How did you do that? You'd need to compell, like, forty people."_

_"Or," Damon tapped the table, "just the one who manages the database of entrants and contestants."_

_Alaric closed his eyes. "No," he said decisively. "No, I will not go on the Amazing Race with you."_

_"Cool," Damon replied, rising gracefully and sliding his sunglasses into place. "We leave Sunday."_

__

* * *

Stefan couldn't help but smile at the rapture in Elena's voice. "Rome?" he echoed. "Excellent."

Elena slipped on her knapsack, her grin sliding into a grimace as she caught sight of Damon pushing Alaric towards the car. "Remind me again why we're doing this?"

Stefan shot a quick glance at the cameras filming their every word. "Because it's going to be fun!" He said firmly. "Give you an outlet for that competitive streak I know is under there."

Elena followed his meaningful look. "Right!" she chirped back, eyes promising payback later. "Then we'd better get going! The Pretty Boys are already ahead." Stefan bit back a grin as he saw that Damon and Alaric had indeed already reached the cars. "I wonder," Elena continued loudly for the benefit of the cameras, "if anyone else has figured out yet that they're gay?"

* * *

_Damon tossed a pile of paperwork onto the table. The thud was impressively loud, and the papers slid across the textbook Stefan had open, obscuring his view. He looked up with a sigh. "What is it?"_

_"History homework, Stefan? Really?" Damon lifted the textbook, scanning the front with a crooked grin. "Didn't you help write this one?"_

_"Alaric doesn't give assignments from the parts that are mine," Stefan admitted grudingly, stretching. "I think he thinks it's cheating or something if I already know the material."_

_"That must make it a challenge." Damon set the book on the counter behind him. "My respect for the teacher grows by leaps and bounds."_

_Stefan picked up a couple of the papers littering the table, glancing through them idly. He blinked in shock. "Damon," he started._

_"Stefan," Damon mocked him, mischief dancing in his eyes._

_"The Amazing Race?" Stefan tried to inject all his disbelief into his voice._

_"I told you we should do it."_

_Stefan looked back down at the papers in his hand helplessly. "I never thought you were serious."_

_"As a heart attack." Damon dramatically slammed his hand against his chest._

_"No." Stefan tossed the papers back onto the table, leaning back and crossing his arms._

_Damon stared at him assessingly, then shrugged and pulled himself upright. "Ok," he said. "I'm going anyway. I just thought you might want to come along, have some fun." He paused, "Keep an eye on me." He strode towards the door.  
"Wait, what? You're going anyway?"_

_"My partner is the teacher." Damon threw the words carelessly over his shoulder. "I think it'll be great. Just think, with all those teams. It's like travelling with an all you can eat buffet!"_

_"Oh God." Stefan closed his eyes. "I just … I don't even know what to say."_

_"You better let Elena know we're going," Damon turned at the door to smirk at him. "I doubt she'd believe it coming from me." He left, mockingly whistling the theme song over his shoulder._

_"I hate you," Stefan said, loud enough for Damon to hear. "So much."  
_


	2. Atlanta

"Hey," Alaric said about five minutes after they'd entered the car. "Where's our camera crew?"

Damon pointed at the dashboard. "In-dash camera," he replied with his typical succinctness. 

"Really?" Alaric leaned close to see, then realised he was probably giving the production crew a close-up of the inside of nose and hastily withdrew. 

"We'll pick up the humans again at the airport," Damon continued easily. 

Alaric shifted in his seat. "Should… I suppose we need to be careful what we say," he hurriedly changed what he was about to say.

"Why?" Damon downshifted smoothly to take the off-ramp for the airport. "I'm an open book." He looked directly into the camera, grinning toothily. "He's worried I'm going to say something ridiculous, like that he can't die or that I'm a day-walking _vampire_ or something." He laughed, ignoring Alaric's choked protest and horrified expression. "Well," he leaned towards the camera conspiratorially, "that part's true. Ah! Parking."

Alaric finally managed to catch his breath, gave the camera a wry look of his own. "Doesn't believe in hiding the crazy, does he?" he muttered.

"Ha! Why hide? I want to share with the whole world!" Damon pulled the parking break and opened his car door. "That's why we're here."

Alaric rubbed his already aching forehead. "That," he said, "is what I am afraid of."

They were the fourth team to the airport. Alaric watched another team sprint past them with a grin. "How long do you think it'll take them to realise that it's a bad idea to run in American airports these days?" He asked.

"About that long." Damon grinned as the team was stopped by a pair of very serious-looking men in airport security uniforms. They joined the line. 

"It's the Pretty Boys!" One of the other teams said loudly, gesturing at them.

Alaric groaned. Damon grinned. "Well," he said to the other racer. "I am awfully handsome." He tilted his head at Alaric. "But Rick here? Really?" He made a show of looking him up and down. "You know, I hadn't noticed, but you're pretty hot."

"Oh, please," Elena interjected, sliding past Alaric to step ahead of Damon in line. "You've totally noticed." Stefan followed her, edging past Damon's knowing smirk with a put-upon expression. 

"Didn't you just butt in line?" The racers ahead demanded. 

"That's all right." Damon waved one languid hand, staring down at Elena's smug face. "This is just the order we get on the plane." He leaned forward and bared his teeth at her. "I'll win when we get there. I'm just biding my time."

"Thanks, Damon," Stefan slid adroitly between them, turning Elena into the curve of his arm. "I appreciate your confidence, but, well. You're going to get your ass kicked."

Damon snorted.

Alaric watched them bicker, frowning. He still didn't really know what Damon was after with this trip, nor did he have a feeling for why Stefan was humouring him. For that matter, he wasn't sure why _he_ had decided to come along. 

For the moment, he decided as Elena and Stefan stepped up to the counter to get their tickets, it would be best to stay quiet and watch. 

Carefully.

* * *

The other teams introduced themselves in the departure lounge at the gate. Stefan applied himself to remembering names and backgrounds, committing skills and impressions to memory with the ease of long practice. He saw Damon socialising comfortably while scanning the group with that eagle look he had, choosing which of their opponents would be threats and which would not. He could already tell that Damon had dismissed the entire group as unlikely to challenge them, but he disagreed. Factors like luck and will couldn't be discounted here. Then again, Damon probably figured he could just compel anyone who got too far ahead.

It wasn't a bad plan, as plans go.

Alaric stood to one side, leaning against a pillar and smiling slightly as he watched the proceedings. His eyes were sharp as they raked across the rowdy group, and Stefan nodded to himself. Alaric would be a tough competitor. He had to admit, Damon had chosen pretty well for a partner.

And when the _hell_ had he started to think of this as a real game? 

Elena laughed at something, drawing his attention. He smiled at her, then caught Damon's eyes from where he was grinning at her as well. As their gazes locked, Stefan's smile faded. Damon's sharpened into something close to a threat.

Stefan looked away, and in doing so glanced again at Alaric.. He was watching Damon with a half-smile on his face, like he was figuring something out.

Elena laughed again, and Stefan shook loose his mood. He bent over to check their bags as their flight was called. 

It was time to let it go. For now, Elena was happy and Damon's plan (whatever it was) was still a long way from fruition. For now, he would let it be a game and would take the opportunity to relax a bit.

For now.


End file.
